Why do we use pencils?

In the UK, pencils are traditionally used for the purposes of marking ballot papers and are made available inside polling stations for voters to use.

The Electoral Commission say the reason that pencils are traditionally used is partly for historical and practical reasons: with ink pens there is always a risk that they may dry out or spill.

Also, ink may cause some transfer of the mark the voter has made on the ballot paper when they fold it, thus potentially leading to a rejection as it may look like they have voted for more options than they are entitled to.

The Electoral Commission explain: "The use of pencils does not in itself increase the likelihood of electoral fraud. Legislation has built specific safeguards into the process, such as the requirement for seals to be attached to ballot boxes at the close of poll.

"By law, campaigners are also entitled to be present at that stage and to attach their own seals if they wish. At the start of the count, they can then observe those same seals being broken.

"Tampering with ballot papers is a serious offence and if anyone has evidence that ballot papers are being tampered with, they should report this to the police."

Polling station Coventry

So can I use a pen to vote?

Yes, the official advice from the Electoral Commission is that it's fine to use a pen OR a pencil to vote. It's your choice.

There is nothing to stop a voter from using a pen to mark their vote – there is no legal requirement for ballot papers to be marked with a pencil.

It seems that some people during the referendum, mostly Brexit supporters, were concerned that if they use pencil, their votes would be rubbed out.

So voters urged others to take their own pens to put a cross in the box so that it cannot be erased.

That came after a YouGov poll found that 46% of leave voters thought it is likely that the EU referendum would be rigged.

There was a similar scenario during the Scottish referendum, where voters urged others to use something more permanent than a pencil.